The ELC is committed to building community while also providing quality English language education in a welcoming environment. Our teachers are M.A. qualified, experienced educators familiar with the most recent research in English language education and trauma-informed practices.
The Tools to Succeed
OUr MethodsClassroom instruction is structured around current research in adult language acquisition and takes into account the needs of our current student population. Upon enrollment, each student is interviewed and given an English placement test that measures their Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Students are then placed in a class that caters to their specific English language acquisition needs. Currently we have 5 leveled classes offered at the ELC: Basic 1, Basic 2, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. For more details, see Our Classes General English descriptions. |
Our curriculumLessons center around topics about living in the United States and provide ample opportunities to practice English in realistic settings. Students also learn life and technology skills that will prepare them for life-long learning even after they leave the ELC.
Our curriculum includes topics such as:
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meet our Staff
Chelsea Jordan
ELC Program Manager
MA- Teaching english as a second language
Chelsea has worked with refugees and multi-lingual students since 2013. Her career started at the English Language Center as a service-learning volunteer and research assistant at Boise State University before going to Northern Arizona University for her Master's in Teaching English as a Second Language. She then worked as an English Instructor at a university in Ankara, Turkey for two years. She re-joined the ELC in the summer of 2019 and enjoys creating engaging lessons and developing the ELC's curriculum as part of her role as the Program Manager. In her free time, Chelsea enjoys exploring the beautiful Idaho outdoors with her dog and finding the best food spots in Boise.
Ashley hislop
services to older refugees coordinator
Ms - crisis and emergency management
Following a year of AmeriCorps VISTA service at the ELC, Ashley became the Services to Older Refugees Coordinator at the end of 2017. Ashley taught English in Mongolia as a Peace Corps volunteer after graduating from Boise State University with a degree in Anthropology and finished a graduate program in Crisis and Emergency Management in 2019. Ashley is semi-fluent in Mongolian and has dabbled in a variety of other languages; she is currently taking an online course in Norwegian. She is half-way through her dream of visiting every continent and enjoys reading, watercolor painting, writing, and studying folk-lore.
DEVON JANCIN
ESL INSTRUCTOR
MA- TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
MA- TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Devon has spent the last 13 years teaching English all over the world to a wide variety of students. She has taught elementary, high school, and university students in the United States, Uganda, China, and Indonesia. She has worked as a teacher trainer as a Peace Corps Volunteer and an English Language Fellow. While earning her Master’s in TESL/TEFL, Devon worked in Colorado State University’s writing center, which fostered her interest in literacy and diverse populations. She continued teaching and learning from her students as an Instructor in CSU’s Academic English Program, a curriculum supervisor at a high school in Beijing, and a professor at a Muslim university in Indonesia. Devon is thrilled to continue her educational journey as an Instructor at the English Language Center.
Estefany giehm
ESL INSTRUCTOR
MA- TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Estefany completed her master's degree in English with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at San Francisco State University in 2010. She then taught ESL to adult learners in San Diego, Albuquerque, and Chicago before settling in Boise in 2013. She has taught beginning to advanced levels of ESL at the Intensive English Program at Boise State University and College of Western Idaho. Estefany was also a teacher trainer in the TESOL Certificate Program at BSU and lead curriculum designer of the Bridge to English 101 program which prepares recent high school graduates with refugee backgrounds for their first semester of college at CWI. She is excited to join the ELC team in their efforts of empowering students through language learning.
sarah lacasse
ESL INSTRUCTOR
MA- TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Sarah was drawn to education because of her belief that all people, especially refugee populations, deserve an education in order to achieve their goals. After earning a Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Northern Iowa, Sarah taught ESL and provided career guidance to students in Iowa, Mexico, Arizona, and California. Early on, the native Iowan, who has taught from literacy through university levels, captured an international exchange opportunity to teach at a small private school in Mexico, noted as the country's MIT. Moving on to Arizona, Sarah contributed to teaching and career-oriented curriculum for Literacy Volunteers, the largest non-profit learning center in that state, focusing on student vocabulary and career opportunities. In California, Sarah taught literacy classes to junior high students with dyslexia. Sarah is now very excited to begin her career with the English Language Center in Boise, Idaho in order to expand the skills of her students so they may find rewarding job opportunities.
Judith Mwamba
TEACHING ASSISTANT
AS - ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING
AS - ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING
Originally from DRC Congo, Judith lived in Namibia for over twenty years and has recently arrived in Boise. She has an Associates in Accounting and Auditing. She loves spending time helping people in different ways.
Since her arrival in Boise, Judith has often helped interpret for the IRC and volunteered with Global Talent on World Refugee Day. Her experiences as a refugee, with refugees, and with different language and cultural groups, gives her the strength, understanding and knowledge to help people to her very best ability.
Since her arrival in Boise, Judith has often helped interpret for the IRC and volunteered with Global Talent on World Refugee Day. Her experiences as a refugee, with refugees, and with different language and cultural groups, gives her the strength, understanding and knowledge to help people to her very best ability.
BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH LANGUAGE
